HONG KONG: Hong Kong and parts of southern China ground to a halt on Tuesday (Sep 23) evening as Super Typhoon Ragasa approached with high winds and lashing rain, forcing Chinese authorities to shut down schools and businesses in at least 10 cities. The super typhoon was generating maximum sustained winds of 205kmh near its centre while moving west across the South China Sea, according to Hong Kong's weather service. The Hong Kong Observatory earlier issued its third-highest typhoon warning, T8, adding it would consider upgrading the warning as early as 11pm on Tuesday. Loading Loading"The weather is expected to deteriorate rapidly overnight, with winds strengthening quickly," the observatory said. An AFP reporter saw waves nearly 5m high smash into the seaside promenade of Hong Kong's Heng Fa Chuen residential district around nightfall.